Son’s Suicide Leads to Aid for Students

Most people have heard the tragic cyber bullying case of Tyler Clementi. A few years ago, Clementi was a freshman at Rutgers University when he discovered that his roommate had secretly set up a webcam in their dorm to record him having sex with another man. A few days later, Clementi jumped off the George Washington Bridge, never again to resurface. As this incident invited Rutgers University outrage from the public, Mr. and Mrs. Clementi considered suing Rutgers University. However, back in February of 2013, over 2 years after the incident, Clementi’s parents announced that they planned to work with the university’s officials on developing and promoting the Tyler Clementi Center at the university of Rutgers. The center aims to hold conferences and academic research on students entering the university. It also examines bullying and youth suicides, along with how younger people use new technologies. In an interview, Mrs. Clement had explained, “It’s bittersweet. It calls up a lot of pain and sadness, but at the same time it gives me some hope that I can be part of a better future for someone else. There are other Tylers out there, but they won’t have to go through what Tyler went through.” With a primary focus on gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender young individuals, the Clementis have taken a major step towards creating a safer online experience for everyone.